Flights

Planning a holiday is always an exciting idea. A relaxing holiday is one of the best ways to escape from the stressful and busy daily life. But it is also a costly affair. From air tickets to hotel accommodations there are many items includes which anyone need to pay higher rates.

Among all the costs involved in travelling, air tickets can be the most expensive item which sometimes avoid you from planning a holiday. If you travel as a family with few family members, flight tickets can be a considerable amount. This is why you need to be smart and save money on your air tickets. You can easily use these savings to other travel expenses such as hotel rooms and attraction tickets making your holiday more meaningful.

As I am planning my next holiday in Sri Lanka during the next school holiday, I found that the flight tickets are really expensive for that season. Air tickets are always expensive during the school holiday season because many families try to fly during this time. This is why I thought of sharing this blog post on saving money on air travel which can be helpful for anyone who looks for tips on saving from flights.

How to save money on air travel?

Here are my tips that you can easily save money on your air tickets. Try these. You will sure be surprised with the savings!

Travel during off peak season

Low season or off-peak season is the best time to find bargains. Usually air ticket rates are really cheaper during the off season than during the peak season. Whenever possible avoid Holiday season such as Christmas time where the destination is crowded. School holidays are another time period which you will find expensive air tickets. If you cannot avoid such seasons due to leave availability or any other reason, try to plan your holiday during the weekdays avoiding traveling in weekends. Flight rates are much cheaper during the weekdays than in the weekend.

Use airline coupons and discounts

After searching, I found promo code for our flight to Sri Lanka

Coupons and discounts are my favourite way to save money on any online purchase. This is same with flight tickets too. Once you decide the dates to fly and after checking the flight rates from different flights available, check for coupons and discounts available. In this step you can search for coupons for your favourite airline. By using airline coupons and discounts you can further save money from your total expenses. Sometimes airline coupons can save you around 15-20% of your total flight expenses which can be a considerable amount of money.

Use flexible dates on your flight search

Although you have dates planned for your next trip; try searching the flight rates with the option of flexible dates. In this way you can see available flights for your holiday destination with the flight rates. By comparing this price table, it is easy to book the tickets with the best rates.

With flexible dates option,you can find flight rates for a period of time.It is always easy to compare the rates with different dates.

I always use this tip when I search for flight rates. Whenever possible, we change our dates of flying to save some extra money from our air tickets.

Use one-way tickets from different airlines (Flight combinations)

Sometimes one-way tickets can save you money. Instead of booking round trip tickets from the same airline, try different combinations using the airlines for the destination. You will find the best combination for the destination which can involve more than one airline.

Above are my favourite ways to save money on air tickets. Other than above we also travel by budget airlines which offer different options to save money. For example, in our recent trip to Phnom Penh, we booked our tickets from Jetstar which is a low cost airline. How did we save money? We didn’t book for luggage. As we were on a short holiday, we could travel with our baggage saving some money. Although we booked food that time, in our next trip we will consider avoiding that option too for short duration flights.

Despite it now being so easy to book plane tickets and having so much choice when it comes to doing so, we’re often still stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the cost.

However, there are a few tricks of the trade which can help you to get the best deals when booking flights and we’ve rounded up five to save you some pennies on your next journey.

Embrace the layover

With longer layovers often come lower air fares and it’s definitely worth taking the hit of a layover to save yourself what could potentially be big bucks. Another perk of having a longer layover is that you can seek comfort in the knowledge that you’re not going to miss your connecting flight – so layovers aren’t all bad at all!

On this, we spoke to Globehunters who said: “Opting for a longer layover will almost always get you a cheaper flight. As much as layovers can be tedious, there are plenty of ways in which you can combat the boredom which falls hand in hand with the waiting time.”

“You can make the most of the airport’s executive lounges and there will often be lots of places around the airport for you to enjoy some food and drink and maybe even get some work done.”

If you need some inspiration for how to entertain yourself during your layover, read this post for some pointers.

Be flexible

Financially speaking, it’s always best to be as flexible as possible when booking flights. The cheapest fares are usually found at the more unsociable periods of flight timetables, such as in the early hours of the morning or on Saturday evenings – even flying on holidays such as Christmas Day should significantly reduce your air fare.

Making your availability flexible during these times puts you one step ahead of the passengers who aren’t so flexible, so it’s definitely worth having an easy going approach to flight times if possible.

Buy one-way tickets

In many cases, buying two single tickets instead of one return ticket will significantly reduce the price of your journey. With this trick, you can also mix and match airlines and airports, giving you the utmost flexibility during your trip.

Cozy up to an airline

Most airlines have some sort of scheme or reward system which allows you access to cheaper deals on their flights. By signing up to a frequent flyer program, you could be saving yourself some real money on flights, not to mention potentially gaining access to airport lounges free of charge, depending on which airline you choose.

Book six weeks in advance

Some people swear by booking last minute flight tickets, but that is a risky business as you may not be able to find cost-effective flights and end up having to pay high prices for plane seats which you could have bought at a lower price at an earlier date.

However, according to a study from Airlines Reporting Corporation, the best time to find cheap flights is six weeks in advance of your departure date. This is simply because, during this time, flight prices drop to below the average fare.

Do you travel frequently? If you travel for business or as a holiday, flight cancellation or delay flights are not in your preferences. Flight delays or flight cancellations are always cause difficulty and inconvenience for you making your trip tiresome. What you can do for these delays? As a passenger, you do not have facility to avoid or prevent these flight delays or flight cancellations. However, you have your rights to claim compensation for flight delays and cancellations. Did you know that?

According to the Flight Delay Compensation Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004,all passengers have rights to claim up to €600 compensation for the flight delays and flight cancellation which happen due to the fault of airline companies.

Possible Occurrences for Flight Delays Compensation Claims

If you check my previous post, you will get some idea about the possible occurrences for flight delays compensation. Basically, you are eligible to claim monetary compensation if the flight delay or flight cancellation is due to the fault or negligence of airline company. Therefore, if you happen to face a possible flight delay or a cancellation, take necessary actions and collect witnesses that are helpful as supporting documents for your flight delay compensation claim.

How to claim Compensation for Flight Delay or Flight Cancellation?

You, as a passenger have the right to claim compensation for the delayed flight or cancelled flight. However, you should know the reason for the flight delay. If the delay is due to the fault of Airline, then obviously you are eligible to claim for compensation. However, if the delay or cancellation is due to ‘Act of God’, which airline could not foresee, then you cannot claim your compensation. Therefore, it is important to get a clear idea on what are the possible causes which can named as ‘Act of God’ and what are the possible reasons which give you the right to claim for compensation.

However, this part is bit tricky sometimes. Because, you sometimes don’t know the real reason for the flight delay or there are times that you don’t have access for data which helps you to do a research on the possible reasons. Most of the time, most of the airlines too give the reason as an ‘Act of God’. In this type of situations, the best is to get the help of a third party consultant firm to claim your compensation. With the experiences on working on similar matters and with professional knowledge on similar issues, they are able to investigate and help you to claim compensation for flight delays.

You can get the necessary advice on claiming your compensation from Companies like www.claimflights.co.uk .The best is they charge you only if your case is a success. If the case is not successful and if you don’t win, they do not charge you. So, there is nothing to worry.

Therefore, know your rights as a passenger. It is good to have an idea about your privileges as a traveller.

Do you know your rights on claiming for delayed flights? Under EC Regulation 261/2004, (a European Union (EU) law), every passenger has rights to claim for their delayed flights. As per EC Regulation 261/2004, there are common rules that help passengers who are supposed to transport from EU to another country, flights within EU or with EU airlines.

Possible Occurrences for Flight Delays Compensation Claims

Under this act, passengers are able to claim for the flight delays. However, you have right to claim for a financial compensation only if the airline is responsible for the delay. If the flight delay is due to ‘act of God’, then you are not entitled to claim for financial compensation for your flight delay, but your airline still has a ‘duty of care’ towards their passengers. That is your flight should take measures to take care of passengers with necessities at the event like refreshments, accommodation if necessary or phone calls etc.

What are under ‘Acts of God’?

If the flight delay is due to ‘acts of God’, you cannot claim financial flight delay compensation from the airline. Possible ‘acts of God’ are strike, bad weather and technical problems which airline could not foresee.

How to Claim Delayed Flight Compensation?

Once you found your right to claim compensation for the flight delay, try to collect your evidences to prove that you were at the gate. You need to stay at the gate and listen to your flight announcements. The best way to get proof of the delay is by getting few photos of the incident. You have your smart phone and that will do the thing! Find the reason for the delay and if the flight is cancelled, then you need proof for the cancellation. This cancellation may be informed in the form of email or as a printed letter. You need to keep those as evidences. If the flight is cancelled, then try to check-in as a proof of showing that you were there.

Now, above are some ideas for you to collect evidences and things you can prove that you were at the gate and flight was delayed or cancelled. Once you have enough reasons of a possible flight delay and once you have enough data to prove that this flight delay is due to the fault of airline, next thing to do is, file a complaint.

It is wise to get the help of professional services to help you in making your flight delay compensation claim. www.claimflights.co.uk is such a company. Have a look. They will help you with airline passenger rights and claim of compensation for delayed flights.Get compensated for your delayed flights,it is not that difficult as you may think.

Are you looking for affordable
flights for your next holiday? With consideration of the budget, most
travellers look for cheap flights and if you are someone among this group, then
here are few tips for you before booking a cheap flight.

Thinking of the possible
reasons for you to travel in a cheap flight, one of the major reasons can be
that you want to fly abroad but your budget is limited. If you still want a
solution, then there are many sites which you can book a flight for an
affordable rate. Also there are many ways that you can fly for an affordable
rate by saving some money.

Finding good flight deals is also a great way to
save some money on your air ticket.

Anyway, do you worry
thinking where to find a place which offer flights for a lower rates or if you
worry how to find cheap flights for your next holiday, then here are few ways
to find cheap flights.

#1: Be Flexible with Your
Travel Dates

If you check air lines for a
particular date, you may notice that they offer different rates for different
days. If it is a long weekend or a holiday, usually air tickets are expensive
than a normal week day. However, if you are able to travel on a weekday which doesn’t
count as a peak day, then you’ll get an affordable price for your air ticket. Also
you can get relatively cheap tickets for your flight if you plan to leave on a
Saturday and return on Monday instead of leaving on Friday and returning on
Sunday. Because there are many people who want to save their time and they
prefer to leave on Fridays. Hence, the ticket prices are higher on Fridays.

#2: Buy tickets online

It is very simple. Find cheap
flights on the internet. Nowadays, there are many sites which offer lowest air
fare for most of the destinations. The best part is, with most of these online
sites, you can compare the rate for the same destination within few air lines. Finding
cheap flights on the internet are becoming more popular nowadays as it save
money and also save time as you can book a flight in few clicks while staying
at home.

If you are wondering where
to find a site to buy air tickets online, then try www.ontimetravel.co.uk With this site,
you can find cheap flights to many holiday destinations. Most popular searches include
India flights and holidays, Morocco flights and holidays and Dubai
holidays. But, if your holiday is for another destination, don’t worry, still
you can try this site.

#3: Book last minute

It is a trick for some
travellers who fly frequently. You can find cheap air tickets on last minute
flights. Although the chances of buying cheap flight tickets are higher if you
check the last minute posts, it is also bit stressful. Because,it is not easy
to plan your holiday in advance without booking the tickets. However, most
Airlines usually announce last few seats just a few days before the departure. So,
if it is 2-3 days advance, you still have time to book your hotel and other relevant
planning.

We most of the time book our
tickets on last minute, however so far we found good and comfortable accommodation
too even those were last minute bookings.

#4: Fly to Secondary
Airports

Another very good option is
to find alternative routes. If you want to find cheap rates for your destination,
you can book a ticket to a secondary airport of the city you want to travel. Then
you may consider land transport for the desired location. However, book your
flight to a nearest airport which you plan your holiday.

#5: Fly on two
different airlines

This is one of our tricks too. Most of the
time, when we travel for our holidays, especially when we travel Sri Lanka for our holiday, we mix and match the flights. Instead of booking round trips,
we depart using one airline and return from another airline. Once combine these
2 flights, the total cost is actually cheaper than flying on the same flight
both ways. Try it. You’ll find it is a great way to save some money.

Above are 5 of the tips which you can apply
for finding affordable flights for a vacation. There are lots of other tips
too.

If you have some more tips, please share with us. Sure, it will be a great
help.